The publication of open government data reinforces transparency, participation and innovation in all sectors of society. The Confederation's administrative units are implementing these principles sustainably and securely by gradually disseminating their data free of charge, in a timely manner, and in an open and machine-readable format. Drawn up by the Open Government Data Office, which is attached to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the 2024-2027 master plan for open government data (OGD master plan), pursues and supports this objective and sets out activities in the field of open government data up to 2027.
With the entry into force of the EMOTA, the open by default principle, which is part of the 2019-2023 Open Government Data strategy (OGD Strategy), will be enshrined in law. The federal administration will be obliged to publish its data in the form of OGD by default, within three years of the new law coming into force, scheduled for early 2024. The OGD strategy will thus be pursued by a plan of measures (OGD 2024-2027 master plan), aimed at supporting the federal administration in implementing Art. 10 of the EMOTA concerning open government data, and with the goal of continuing the initiatives of the OGD strategy.
The OGD master plan sets out the principles, goals and measures for open government data and defines implementation priorities for the federal administration. The publication and use of OGD give rise to new questions relating to law, ethics, governance and others, as well as new responsibilities. The measures in the OGD master plan will help to clarify these. The OGD office is also strengthening its role as an information centre for open access government data. It supports the use and publication of open data, as well as automatic information processing tools. The OGD master plan is also an important reference document for the cantons, communes and parastate enterprises, which are encouraged to promote the open access publication of government data.
To support the administrative units in implementing Art. 10 of the EMOTA, five principles have been defined, each with its corresponding measures. These principles should help stakeholders to become familiar with the main principles of OGD, such as open by default and open by design, and to promote collaboration, exchanges and networking within the OGD community, so that the full potential of open government data can be exploited within the framework of legal, organisational, technical and semantic requirements. Emphasis has been placed on developing synergies with research and data science. The implementation of this law is also intended to ensure that Switzerland remains both compatible and competitive at international level with regards to open government data.
